The field of the invention generally relates to washing machines, and more particularly relates to apparatus for securing the drain hose to peripheral portions of the aperture through which it exits the washer cabinet so as to provide strain relief for the hose connection to the pump.
As is well known, automatic washing machines generally have a pump that pumps the wash and rinse water through a drain hose to a household drain pipe at the completion of respective washing cycles. It is also generally known that it is desirable to provide strain relief for the connection between the drain hose and the pump so that an external pulling force on the drain hose will not disconnect or loosen the drain hose from the pump. Another general requirement is that the drain hose be protected from wearing or cutting at the washer cabinet aperture as a result of flexing or other motion of the drain hose.
In one prior art approach to securing the drain hose and providing strain relief, a drain hose fitting in the form of an elbow with a flange is inserted through a cabinet aperture, and then a plurality of screws are used to attach the flange to the cabinet panel. Typically, smooth rubber hose is used with this arrangement, and a short length of hose is interconnected between the pump and the inside end of the elbow fitting using hose clamps. A drain hose which runs to the household drain is then connected to the outside end of the elbow fitting using a hose clamp. Accordingly, if a force is exerted on the drain hose, the outside connection to the elbow fitting may become loose or disengaged, but the force is not transferred to the inside connection to the pump. Therefore, the elbow fitting provides strain relief for the connections internal to the washer cabinet. This arrangement also has an advantage in that it typically is not subject to wearing or cutting at the elbow joint. However, this construction is relatively expensive because, in addition to the high cost of rubber hose, a plurality of parts including separate lengths of hose are required. Further, the assembly labor costs are relatively expensive because the elbow fitting has to be screwed to the back panel of the cabinet and all of the hose fittings have to be manually clamped.
In another prior art approach, a continuous piece of corrugated plastic drain hose is used. Accordingly, separate lengths of hose do not have to be interconnected such as at the elbow fitting described above. After extending the hose through the cabinet aperture, it is inserted through a circular hole in a small plate, and then a plurality of hose retainer clips are seated into a groove of the corrugated hose. Next, the retainer clips are affixed to the plate so that the plate is then secured to the hose. Finally, the plate is positioned so as to cover the hose exit aperture from the cabinet panel, and the plate is affixed to the panel using a screw. Such arrangement not only provides strain relief for the hose connection to the pump, but also there are no other fittings such as at the above-described elbow joint that could come loose if a force were exerted on the hose. However, this construction is still relatively expensive because it uses several parts and the fabrication process is labor intensive. That is, manual manipulation is required to connect the retainer clips to the hose and the plate, and also the plate has to be screwed to the cabinet. Further, excessive flexing of the drain hose may cause wear or cutting where the hose contacts the retainer clips.